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Laserdiscs

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Hi all,
A couple months ago, a friend gave me his laserdisc player (pioneer non-elite model) and collection of movies. I love them. I have realized that i like laserdiscs better than DVDs (i am also into vinyl- go figure). They seem so much more natural and film-like, even on my relatively low-mid-end Panasonic 27" TV. I searched the archives here and found i am not alone in this preference. (whew, i'm not that weird) THen this weekend i watched the one Star Wars LD he had, Empire Strikes Back, the THX edition (not the special edition with the obnoxious digital additions) My roomate and i were blown away by the quality of sound and picture. I ordered the other two Star wars movies. i found how cheap laserdiscs are now, and i am wondering if should start buying more. I am very tempted, and scouring eBay.
What do you all think? Is it a bad idea to get into collecting a dead format? LDs seem much better to my eyes and ears, should i go with it? Will i be struggling to find a player if and when this one breaks down? Someone at least tell me they prefer LDs too so i know i am not nuts.
Thanks,
eric

Follow Ups:

Re: Laserdiscs - laserdisc man 22:53:59 05/25/02 (0)
I totally agree with you, my father first got laserdisc in 1990 and I was truly impresed with it. Although I loved the laserdisc disc format, I could not afford it untill 2000. In 1998 I bought a dvd player beliving the hype, that was before I knew how much compresion its uses. Form day one I was trully disapionted with dvd, while I disliked the picture quality, (Compresion artifacts) I noticed that the sound was extremelly flat and had no dynamics, unlike laserdisc and HiFi vhs. I finally sold my dvd player and use laserdisc and vhs for movie playback. Also, anyone looking for laserdisc players should check ebay. They have an incredible selection of players.
thanks guys - EL Cheapo 16:52:00 04/26/02 (0)
i bought the star wars LDs, but i will probably go easy on any more purchases. if i find anything i can't resist i'll probably jump on it, but dvd seems the way to go. it probably needs more time to mature as a medium, in a few years probably no LD will be able to compete with DVD. hmmm... will see.
have fun
eric
I agree with drobo - John C. - Aussie 18:08:06 04/25/02 (0)
As with most topics it is dangerous to generalise. Yes some LDs are better but then so are some DVDs.
If you are chasing LDs have a look at big emma - bigemma.com [that is if they still exist - I just tried and could not log on]
That is where I purchased most of the 750+ in this collection (only half are movies, the rest are opera, ballet etc). Freight is the killer in remote Australia but should not be as difficult for you.
As for players, I would not worry. There are heaps around and you should be able to pick up a good one (like the Pioneer D925 - their last) at a low price.
I enjoy both LDs & DVDs but the software varies a lot. Some LDs are worse video than I can get on tape from a satellite broadcast but some are as good. The best DVDs surpass both but there are quite a few mediocre DVDs out there also.
John

Peace at AA
Re: Laserdiscs - drobo 14:41:53 04/25/02 (10)
I agree that some LD's look better than their DVD counterpart. However, it's not true all the time. I have found some instances when the DVD looks somewhat better.
drobo
- Re: Laserdiscs - Estes 17:57:11 04/25/02 (9)
  What is one more dead format among friends? The issue in my mind is, can you find a decent LD player in a couple of years? What happens when yours breaks down? It is a risk that I would not want to take.
  - I would not worry about availability - Lasermeister 09:29:28 04/26/02 (8)
    Well, working CED players are still available over 15 years after RCA pulled the plug on that format. I would not worry too much about the availability of LD players, at least for the next 20 years (However, this is from someone who owns 8 LD players at present--I would be considerably more nervous if I only had one or two). I like LDs also, as is probably obvious from my moniker. I like DVDs as well but find many of them to have distracting digital artifacts. LD is plagued with chroma noise and always has the spectre of laser rot lurking in the background, but I have many discs with a very good to excellent picture. Laserdisc PCM, or actually even the stereo analog tracks, does a much nicer job IMO on music intensive material than the DD 5.1 typcially found on DVDs.
    The last generation of LD/CD players that Pioneer produced, such as the CLD-D704 and CLD-79 and 99, really do an excellent job of minimizing chroma noise. There are some Japanese imports available that provide an even better picture, such as my HLD-X9, but I believe these may also now be out of production.
    Todd
    - Yes the HLD-X9 is in a class of its own - John C. - Aussie 19:22:36 04/26/02 (1)
      Hi Todd
      I must have got one of the last ones 12 months ago and have never regretted it. I have some PAL LDs also, and hunted around for a used D925 (reputedly the last & best) and ended up importing one from NZ - thanks Michael w for alerting me to its existance. However the picture does not hold a candle to the HLD-X9 on either NTSC or PAL.
      That said, there is some pretty bad LD software around also. Seems to be the curse of all formats!
      BTW I was just able to access Big Emma http://www.bigemma.com/shop_recent.asp
      so they are still operating and have some reasonably priced LD movies if anyone is interested.
      John
      
      Peace at AA
      - HLD-X9 is STILL in production until Juni - Mattias Karlsson 15:15:19 04/30/02 (0)
        
        In Reply to: Yes the HLD-X9 is in a class of its own posted by John C. - Aussie on April 26, 2002 at 19:22:36:
        
        Hi!
        I'm a HLD-X9 owner (I also have a LD-S9). And I think this machine
        is soooo great. I prefer many movies on LD over their DVD countpart,
        + all movies that are not on DVD yet. And not ot talk about the sound.
        mono/stereo on PCM KILLS the DD mono/stereo!!!
        I'm so happy with my HLD-X9 that I have one more on order as a back-up, plus one HLD-X0!
        So if anyone wants I player they are still in production some month more.
        -Mattias-
    - Re: I would not worry about availability - Estes 10:04:26 04/26/02 (5)
      Hi Todd: I said what I did, because market pentration for LD was always very low, less than 5%. So I don't see a bunch of companies rushing to fill the "demand" for high quality LD machines. For turntables there were tons made and vinyl is still being pressed, even if only as a fringe hobby. Companies continue to make TTs and cartridges. Heck, I even have a cassette machine and a bunch of cassettes. Do I add one more "dead" technology to my collection? I have seen Sony LD machines for less than $75. It is tempting.
      I agree regarding the limitations of DVD. A lot of compression is needed to make them work. Not so with LD. What kept me away from LD in its heyday was the high cost of the software. How many movies am I going to watch over again for $60 a crack. One LD is the cost of several trips to the movie theatre. Plus I am lucky to live where there are a bunch of decent movie theatres. So for me it was go to the theatre. With DVDs going for less than $20 Canadian, I will buy a copy of Rio Bravo to watch once a week ;-)
      - Sony LD players - Lasermeister 07:08:34 04/27/02 (4)
        
        In Reply to: Re: I would not worry about availability posted by Estes on April 26, 2002 at 10:04:26:
        
        One of the reasons Sony LD players are relatively cheap is that they are known for their generally mediocre performance and reliability. Pioneer has had some problem models also, such as the 3090 from the early 90's, but overall, their models offer vastly superior performance and good to very good reliability. Panasonic players were also pretty good. If you're interested in acquiring an LD player, I would stick with a Pioneer or Panasonic based model (both companies built machines for or furnished chassis to other brands).
        Todd
        
        Re: Sony LD players - Estes 17:36:57 04/27/02 (3)
        
        In Reply to: Sony LD players posted by Lasermeister on April 27, 2002 at 07:08:34:
        
        Thanks for the info. A friend bought the Sony MLD500 series back in the late 80s (early 90s?) and at the time he said it was viewed as one of the best machines on the market. That is why I was thinking of a Sony. Ok that plus the price. Come to think of it, I have not seen many Pioneer or Panasonic LD players come on the used market. I guess people are hanging on to them.
        
        Re: Sony LD players - Lasermeister 20:09:32 04/27/02 (1)
        
        In Reply to: Re: Sony LD players posted by Estes on April 27, 2002 at 17:36:57:
        
        My first player was a Sony MDP-510, bought new in 1990. It was easily the worst player I have ever owned in terms of both performance and reliability. Even my Pioneer CLD-D701, which is a very poor player for a Pioneer and which I would never recommend to anyone, just whomps the crap out of the Sony in terms of performance and is still functional after nearly 10 years. The performance on my Sony deteriorated so far after just a few years that I gave it to my parents to use as a CD player. It then developed a drawer problem (a dreadfully common defect on both the MDP-510 and MDP-333 players) and was subsequently junked. It was a nice looking machine with a cool remote but was unfortunately a piece of junk.
        Todd
        
        Re: Sony LD players - Numenor 23:56:26 06/21/02 (0)
        
        In Reply to: Re: Sony LD players posted by Lasermeister on April 27, 2002 at 20:09:32:
        
        Fix it! Its not that hard. mine had the same problem, and its easily fixed by a new band from the motor to the gears, and a bit of lubricant.
        
        I'm hanging on to my... - Joe Murphy Jr 18:28:41 04/27/02 (0)
        
        In Reply to: Re: Sony LD players posted by Estes on April 27, 2002 at 17:36:57:
        
        CLD-97 and CLD-D406.

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